


To Live With The Wolves is To Be a Wolf

by Jeanshard



Series: Patient Wolf [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arguments, Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Resolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:36:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1607045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeanshard/pseuds/Jeanshard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a reason 5 years of courtships were expected. There were reasons not to knot on your first mating.</p><p>There were reasons not to mate at all</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Live With The Wolves is To Be a Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> So this one's a bit messy, so sorry but I wasn't sure where to take this one

Merlin and Arthur were sat on the steps of the castle, snapping at each other and nuzzling into one another’s necks. 

“I slept with her.” Arthur stated, nodding towards a blushing girl across the courtyard. Behind them, Merlin could practically feel Arthur’s manservant have a heart attack. 

“No way.” Merlin laughed. Arthur shot him an insulted glare, but Merlin just rolled his eyes. “She’s far too out of your league.”

“Hey, I’m the Crown Prince of Camelot!” Arthur yelped, raising his hand to cuff Merlin round the back of the head. “I am a complete catch.”

“The plague is a catch, too.” Merlin grinned, before pressing a quick kiss to Arthur’s lips. He could practically feel the anger spilling out of Arthur’s manservant. George really needed to let himself relax. Read a book, go for a run or take a bath. He’d spent every moment Merlin had been in Camelot whining and huffing. 

“Remind me why I made you my omega?”

“I saved you five years of courting?”

“Ah.” Arthur nodded. He leant back until he was resting on his elbows and grinned up a they sky. “You were easy.” Merlin looked back at Arthur with a frown on his face, head twisted on his neck.

“Were?” Merlin grinned, leaning down and draping himself over Arthur a little. He felt smug, curled up around Arthur and the sun beating down on his face. “As in past tense?”

“Are easy. Are. Very important detail.” Arthur said back, equally smug, as he patted Merlin’s head.

***

Merlin pushed himself forward, groaning as he felt Arthur’s knot throbbing inside him. He could never sit still when Arthur was caught inside him, no matter when he was ‘supposed’ to do. Merlin rolled his head back, thighs burning with the effort of riding Arthur.

Beneath him, Arthur was groaning, huge palms running up and down Merlin’s thighs. Merlin felt Arthur squeeze and tug at him, and Merlin hoped he’d be left with palm shaped bruises on his legs. One of Arthur’s hands began to snake up Merlin’s side, grabbing the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

“How-” Arthur rasped. “- how on earth can such a slutty arse still be so tight?”

Arthur dragged Merlin into a kiss, tongue’s winding together and mouths tangling until they were just one person, one body and breathing soul. 

Merlin tried to take a hand down to pull himself off, but Arthur spotted him. Arthur took one of his hands and pulled Merlin’s wrists together, grinning to himself like the bastard he was. Merlin felt his alpha’s knot growing, and started rubbing himself back and forward faster.

“Fucking marvel, look how hard you’re getting.” Arthur cooed. Merlin couldn’t help but blush to the praise, and he scowled at himself. Arthur was far too coherent for Merlin’s liking. “Such a good little omega in bed, take me so well.”

To retaliate, Merlin bit Arthur’s nipple. Arthur clearly hadn’t expected it, and his knot broke when he gave out a surprised yelp. It pulled Merlin off too, and left him with a smug look plastered to his lips. He would need to remind Arthur of that later.

“That’s one to remember.” Merlin boasted, dropping down onto the bed. He ran a hand over his stomach, wondering how long until his heat would arrive. He and Arthur fucked like rabbits, but Merlin was still too young to bear children.

They laid back, sweat soaking themselves and the duvet.

“Totally worth it.” Arthur rasped. Merlin looked up at him, curiously. Arthur just shook his head, and Merlin decided not to bother pushing. They sat in silence for a bit, curling up to each other and grinning like fools any time they made eye contact.

Merlin was surprised how quickly life had fled by here. Three months had trickled by like water down a river, and it only felt like days ago he had insulted Arthur in the square. Then again, Merlin did insult Arthur at every opportunity.

“So… Essetir will be visiting Camelot soon.” Arthur murmured. “You’ll get the chance to sit alongside me as the future Omega of Camelot.”

“I’ll ‘get the chance?’ What an honour.” But Merlin couldn’t help but grin. He found himself looking forward to anything, really, that involved Arthur’s company. “What does that include?”

“You, well. Right, so you’ll have to...” Arthur lead off, unable to meet Merlin’s eye. It was rare he passed up an opportunity to tease or mock Merlin, and he was immediately suspicious.

“Have to what?” Merlin sat up, hackles rising. This was going to wind him up more than the stupid amount of cutlery Arthur used at meals.

“See, if we’d gone through the five year courting process, I could have explained all this to you-”

“Because I had five years to spare without getting sick of you.”

“Rude.” Arthur grunted. “Anyway, I wasn’t able to *tell* you then so I’ll tell you now. You’ll… You need to wear a special outfit. And you, um, you’re meant to sit on a stool beside me.” Arthur must have seen Merlin’s horrified expression, because he leapt up to scurry round the room. “Wait, wait, the seamstress made you a special hat in red, so it’s like my armour…” Arthur began digging through a treasure chest, before popping up triumphantly brandishing the ugliest thing Merlin had ever seen.

“Arthur?”

“Yes Merlin?”

“There is absolutely no way in the world I can wear that hat and sit on a stool at your feet.”

“It’s more at knee level, really. Upper thigh, even!”

“You have a very important artery in your upper thigh Arthur. And I’ve recently learnt how to use about eight different types of knife.”

Arthur’s pupils widened, and he looked back at Merlin.

“How about just the hat?”

***

In all honesty, the feast wasn’t as bad as Merlin expected. The food was good, the wine was tasty and the foreign dignitaries largely ignored him. Merlin supposed food was continually thrown at him to keep his mouth occupied, and to prevent him from embarrassing Camelot. He couldn’t really take offense, it was probably a wise decision.

Unfortunately, he and Arthur didn’t get much time to give each other attention. Arthur was kept busy with entertaining his guests and Merlin was kept busy with all the treats put in front of him. Every now and then he would catch Arthur looking at him, and give a quick smile. Merlin felt like it wasn’t enough, somehow.

“Hello there.” Merlin followed the loud voice, to see the King of Essetir staring down at him. Merlin remembered his name was Cenred, and he was to be addressed as ‘my liege.’ The titles wound Merlin up, they served little purpose. He already knew these people were supposed to be his ‘betters’ without long names to remind him.

“My liege.” Merlin smiled, ducking his head. Subservience didn’t suit him. 

“Hello there, vixen.” Cenred said back, his voice greasy. Merlin was agonisingly aware of the fact that when Arthur became king, Merlin would get the title of ‘vixen.’ Painfully aware. Painfully. “Aren’t you looking sweet.”

Merlin couldn’t help but glare. He heard Cenred chuckle, and the large man gave Merlin an odd look.

“Isn’t this such a quaint little feast?” Cenred smiled.

“Quaint?”

“Oh, well.” Cenred’s voice became treacle, it oozed and dripped and Merlin felt sticky from it, the tone sickened him. “I suppose that for a commoner, this is rather lavish.” Cenred crouched down, and his face was split by his leer. “Yes, I imagine you’re getting far more luxuries than you ever expected.”

“Of course, your Highness.” Merlin’s teeth were gritted together so hard he was surprised they didn’t crack into splinters. He was going to make very fucking sure that Arthur paid for this. No way in hell would Merlin be sat here, like an idiot again. Not if Arthur wasn’t looking like an idiot as well. That’s what their bond meant.

“Of course, those who don’t work enough for their land, those who are simply *given* what they want, well they just never appreciate it. Never care for it.”

“Is that why the lands of Essetir are so poor?” Merlin all but spat, glaring back up at Cenred. His and his mother’s struggle had always angered him. Watching the farms act through slave labour for years on end and starve after a flood or drought made his blood boil. One day, he and Arthur would do good. No one in Camelot would starve as Merlin had.

“Merlin!” Arthur spat, and the tone made Merlin wince. He assumed he was supposed to roll over, bear his neck in submission- it was what his thoughts were telling him to do. But Merlin was more than a stupid assembly collections of instincts.

“What?” Merlin hissed back, spinning around to meet Arthur’s anger. He did not cower and he did not stoop. 

“Apologise. Right now.” Arthur had pulled himself up, and he was hissing the words like Merlin was particularly terrible. “Do as I tell you.”

Merlin could feel his eyes bulging, feel the space between them crackle and feel himself getting angry. Merlin started, never angrier in his life.

“I-”

“Nothing to apologise for, Arthur.” Cenred covered. He pulled himself up, giving Arthur a smile you would put on a child. “I enjoy all forms of combat, verbal sparring has become something of a lost art.” He winked at Merlin. “So glad to see your omega is something of a wolf, after all.”

After he left, Merlin and Arthur sat with their eyes locked and furious.

“We’ll talk about this later, Merlin.”

Merlin curled his head to the side, and let a smile drip from his lips like it was toxic.

“Why of course My Lord.”

Despite his tone of obedience, Merlin’s hand had wormed under the table, and he untied the laces of Arthur’s breaches. As Arthur continued to roll his eyes and scoff at Merlin throughout the evening, Merlin tied the laces breaches to his boots. Years of Merlin learning how to pick pockets with Will made it easier to go unnoticed. Merlin knew the look on his face was definitely enough to give him away.

***

In the end, Arthur wasn’t able to have a ‘discussion’ with Merlin that evening. Because if he had been in the same room as him, he would have done something he would have regretted. Like, killing Merlin and drinking from his skull like it was a cup.

But he had been very angry. Understandably so, not only had Merlin managed to attack the attention of Cenred, insult a foreign dignitary, refuse one of Arthur’s orders- he had also managed to make Arthur lose any sense of dignity when his trousers fell down in front of the court. He didn’t know how Merlin managed it, and he figured it was best he never did know.

“Open the door, Merlin!” Arthur spat, apparently far angrier than he realized. “You can’t lock me out of my own room!”

“I clearly can!” He heard Merlin yell on the other side of the door. 

“Let me in.” Arthur spat. Behind him the guards were snickering. He had spent last night in a different chamber, but there was no way Merlin could keep him out longer. “Now.” Arthur began to throw himself against the door, and just when he was about to give up Merlin opened the door and Arthur fell to the floor. “You twat.”

Arthur scrambled up to his feet. He looked up, and he couldn’t help but smile a little at Merlin. Only on the inside, obviously. The outside Arthur was going to scream himself raw. 

“What the *hell* is wrong with you, Merlin?” Arthur moved closer, shoving Merlin backwards. He had three years on the omega, and they showed. “You need to do as your bloody well told!”

“I do not have to do anything.” Merlin argued back. He wasn’t afraid to push Arthur and crowded into his space. “Don’t walk in here and tell me how to-”

“Ha! I will do what I *want.* I’m the alpha, and it’s my kingdom.” Arthur could feel is chest puffing, and Merlin just rolled his eyes like that didn’t mean a thing. “You’re the one who has to learn to follow orders.”

“No! You should know by now that I’m not just, just doing what you want. You could have guessed when you met me that I wasn’t going to be the pretty little omega you used to wank over.”

“Yeah, the omega’s I used to wank over would never have been such easy lays.”

“And you would have gotten bored of them.” Merlin laughed. “We’re arguing because I ran my mouth. You know that’s what I am, Arthur. You almost arrested me for it.” He stepped closer then, and his hands worked up into the lapels of Arthur’s jacket. Arthur absolutely did not gulp. “So if you want a smiley little omega, there’s a whole kingdom out there that would love to wait five years for you.”

Arthur felt his heart pang. Fuck, it was fucked up. He’d fucked up the only thing that made him ignore all the other fuck ups-

“But they’re not going to be me. Well, us specifically. We’re both easy and we’re both idiots, and we’re no one else’s mess but each other’s.”

It was then that Arthur really, truly understood. He had always heard about omega’s and alpha’s. He had always listened to the poems and stories and sonnets of two souls wrapped together. How they balanced each other, how they relaxed and eased the burdens.

And maybe that was part of their balance, the conflict and the mess.

“And anyway, I’d hate to make anyone else suffer you.” Merlin grinned, before snaking his tongue through Arthur’s mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I'm planning to make the next fic a lot more angsty than the first fic? I hope you guys would be up for that
> 
> comments and kudos mean oh so much to me :)


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